Automobile vehicle



J. V. GARDEN.

AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE.

APPLlcATLoN FILED APHA, 1921.

1,390,672. PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

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l l. Vl GARDEN.

AUTOMOBIL-E VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED APRA, 192|A 1,390,672, Pmndsept. 13,1921.

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1. v. GARDEN. AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILED APR.4,41921.

1,390,672, PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

a UNITEDV STATES 4PAT ENT OFFICE.

p ,JOHN VALENTINE GARDEN, or Asoo'r, ENGLAND.

AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE.

` Application filed April 4, T0012 ari/ioni 'it may concern:

Ile it known that I. JoHN /aLEN'riNE ("/AiinnN, a subject ot the Kinn' otbrreat Britain,

`residingl .in Ascot, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .iiitomobile Vehicles, (for which I have `iiled. anv application in Great Britain dated January 23, 1920. Seria]v No. 22.18,) of which the following' is a speciimition.

'.lhis invention relates to automobilel vehicles in which the engine, rear bonr and driving axle are rigidly connected to ,constitute a unitary structure Vwhich is pi voted transversely on the vehicle traine about an axis in the vertical transverse plane of the renter of inass of' the pivoted structure or approxiinati1i; `y as nearl)7 as possible thereto.

The `primary object ot' the invention to promote the smoothness ot running of such vehicles by reducingr to a minimum stresses .in therehicle frame due `to road shocks communicated through the driving;r axle. This object :isiattaiued by a novel arrangement o'l" the elements of the pivoted unitary structnreabove referred to, whereby `the. length of `the sti'ucture'is reduced to a minimum land the 'pivot axis brought outside the driving axle with respect tothe car body,

`both ot' which features can be shown to contribute to the aforesaid object.

In this arrangement the engine cylinders (or cylinder) are so placed that the crank shaft is .parallel with thedrivingaxle so that e. 'o'. in a iniilt'icylinder engine the cylii'idei's are side by side lin a transverse row, and the power lis transmitted from the` crank shaft to the driving' axle through a parallel spur wheelv drive. Moreover, the pivot axis and siibstantiallv the whole ot' the pivoted structure are brinight outside the driving axle with respect to the car bod)r by .making the cylinders the outermost clement of the structure.

A. subsidiary feature of the invention, which may be introiluced if desired, is the provision ot' `such a connection between the pivoted unitaijy' structure and its pivot that the said structure is capable o'I swinging' about a longitudinal axis as well. as about a transverse axis, both swinging;` movements being restrained and limited by sonic forni ot si'iringnig.

lhe ii'ivention will be hereinal'ter de* scribed as applied to a vehicle driven by a two cylinder internal combustion engine of the two stroke cycle type, but it will be un- Specification of Letters Patent.

ateiitod Slept. 121, 192i 1921. serial No. 458,470.

derstood that it is equally applicable to cug'iiies having' more than two cylinders and other than the two-stroke type.

In thil accompanying' drawings lilipiire l is a general view in elevation. with parts broken away, ot :in automobile vehicle driven Alroin the back axle embodying' the inveiition; Figs. 2 and 2 show a .sectionalv plan on an enlarged scale through the ceuter ot' the enp'iiie cylinders and drivingl axle: and Fig. 2l is an end elevation oi" Fig. 2 lwith parts broken away.

'.l`hc unitary structure comprises the rearwardly projecting' air-cooled cnn-ine cylinders A2 which are horif/,oiitally arranged side by side iii a tri-insvcrse row and bolted to crank cases ll. lll Aintegral with the iii-aiu ,scar box casting` 'lhcsm together `with the parts carried by them. are secured b v ineans ot clamps tl to a lii'aiis\"'1'sc shalft or tube Y the ends ot which are journaled iii truni'iions Z bolted to the boil)r sides. ,lournaled in l'iearinp's supported by the iiitegral gear box casting (l as shown in Fic'. 2a. is the driving' axle l.) which is thus eupported Vin rigid relation to the tube Y. `(fonscquci'itly the driving' axle" I, on the ends ot which the rear wheels olf' the vehicle are nioin'ited. can more in an arc about the axis ot the tube Y. and this increment .is damped and limited by means ot a siiring' or springs interposed between the car bod7 and the gear case :is Vindicated at C2 (Fig. l). The axis oiu the tube 'Y is in rcar ci the back axle I and as ncarliI as possible in the` transverse vertical plane through the center ot' mass ot the structure which it supports. In the position in which it is shown in lig. .2 practicallyv the whole inass ot the cylinders.

rai'liator and pistons over-- inass .is balanced.

Instead ol. clamping the gear box castiiig" rigidly to the tube Y by the two clanii'fs C .it may be pivotally connected with theitube at a central point so as to perii'iit the sup-- ported structure to swingI about a central tore and a lt axis. such inoveineiit being' also damped and limited by means ot a spring or springs.

The pistons D are connected by their re spective coi'ineeting rods E and cranks F with a coniinoii crankshaft journaled in bearings Il', Il. supported by the crank c: ings I3', B2. These bearings, preferably 0l phosphor bronze. are made extra long to minimize leakage from the crank casings and maintain the compression produced within the casings on the outward strokes of the pistons.

The power is transmitted vtromi a flywheel I keyed on the crankshatt through a plate clutch J, the operating `gear of lwhich is shown in section at K (Fig. 2), to a centrally mounted pinion Ii which meshes with a largev reduction spur wheel M on the driving axle I). This spur and the sleeve N and pinion G are loose on the shaft and rotate idly thereon when the gear is at neutral with the engine running.

Top gear is got by sliding the sleeve T which, together with the pinion Q integral with Athe sleeve is splined on the axle P, to-

ward the left (looking at Fig. 2) so as to engage each other, thus locking the reduction gear wheel M on the driving axle, the power being'transmitted to the road wheels through a single pair ot' gear wheels.

Low gear, which would be used as a rule for starting purposes only, is got by sliding the sleeve T tothe right, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, so as to-bring the gear wheel Q into mesh with a pinion It which is tast on a lay shaft V ournaled in hearings carried by the vgear box castinff. A spur wheel S, also tast on the shaft V, is permanently in mesh with the pinion O, so that the drive on low gear is through gear wheels M, O, S, R, Q.

heverse` geariis engaged by bringing a double pinion into mesh with the two gears Q, It when the 'former is in the position shown n Fig. 2a, c. def'lutched from the pinion 0. The double width pinion IV is freely mounted on a stub shaft IV so supported in th-e casing C that the gear wheel W may be swung into engagement with the gears Q, R. Alternatively, the gear wheel N may be arranged so as to slide into mesh with its cooperating gears. The reverse drive would thus be transmitted through gear wheels M, O`r S, It, lV. Q.

Having thus described the nature ot they said invention and the best means I know of' carrying the same into practical etlect, I claim:-

1. In automobile vehicles the combination ot' engine, gear box and driving` axle in a unitary structure pivotally mounted about a transverse axis upon the vehicle traine which is located outboard the driving axle with respect to the wheel base.

2. In automobile vehicles.tlie combination ot engine, gear box and driving axle in a unitary structure pivotally mounted about a transverse axis on the vehicle trame with the engine cylinders as the outermost element ot the pivoted structure and the pivot axis located outside the driving axle with respect to the wheel base.

3. In automobile vehicles, the combination of engine, gear box and driving axle in a unitary structure pivotally mounted about a transverse axis on the vehicle `trame with the engine crank shaft parallel with the driving axle and the pivot axis located outside the driving axle with respect to the wheel base.

et. An automobile vehicle wherein the engine, gear box and driving axle constitute a unitary structure pivotally mounted about a transverse axis upon the vehicle frame and the engine cylinders torni the outermost element of the pivoted structure and are arranged horizontally side by side in a trans verse row with the cylinder heads outward, the crank shaft being connected by parallel gears with the driving axle which constitutes the innermost element of the pivoted structure, said driven axle and cylinders being on opposite sides of the pivotal axis oi' said structure.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN VALENTINE GARDEN. 

